Researchers report that they’ve found a group of neurons that function as a kind of “sleep switch,” and whose degeneration over the years may be the cause of age-related sleep loss. Clifford Saper, James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology and head of the Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is cited.
In October, people with Alzheimer’s disease will be injected with the blood of young people in the hope that it will reverse some of the damage caused by the condition. Research by Amy Wagers, HMS professor of stem cell and regenerative biology, is cited.
This weekly series follows six interns over the course of their first year as they step into their roles as practicing physicians. Sophia McKinley, clinical fellow in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, is profiled.
The White House’s National Security Council staff has assembled a team of 50 public health experts, including representatives from government, private- and nonprofit-sectors, to promote national first aid proficiency, with a focus on emergency response and hemorrhage control. David King, assistant professor of surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
Scientists preserve viable rat livers for 3 days with a new method, according to a study by HMS researchers. Korkut Uygun, assistant professor of surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, is one of the lead investigators.
Rumi Chunara, instructor in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, is profiled for her work on mining social media and other online sources to detect disease outbreaks.
Scott Podolsky, associate professor of global health and social medicine and director of the Center for the History of Medicine at HMS, participated in a Q&A about the history of serum therapy.
Medicine is becoming more democratic as advances like personal genetic testing or sensors that measure molecules in the blood will give patients the power to better understand themselves and to exercise more control over their healthcare. Heidi Rehm, associate professor of pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
Question 4 on the Massachusetts ballots this November, entitled “Earned Sick Time For Employees” would guarantee employees in Massachusetts up to 40 hours of paid sick time to those working for a large employer and up to 40 hours unpaid to those working for a small employer. Mark Schuster, William Berenberg Professor of Pediatrics and chief of the Division of General Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, is featured.
